Recaps

Leng Guhan and Zhu Fancheng negotiated with Huo Lian, who deduced their connection to the Three Great Families and tried to recruit Zhu Fancheng. They offered Huo Lian cooperation in obtaining the families’ cultivation methods, but Zhu Fancheng warned that the families would destroy them rather than let the Demon Hall seize them.

• Huo Lian inferred that the Sword Pavilion’s knowledge and Leng Guhan’s rise were connected to Zhu Fancheng and the Three Great Families.
• Zhu Fancheng explained that he had escaped the Evil Water Region nearly six hundred years earlier with two others, and that Leng Guhan had helped him obtain a life-prolonging Ghost Spirit Sect cultivation method.
• Huo Lian tried to persuade Zhu Fancheng to join him, but Zhu Fancheng refused because of the Three Great Families’ grievances with the Demon Hall.
• Leng Guhan proposed that Huo Lian cooperate with them to obtain the Three Great Families’ cultivation methods, using the Three Evil Blades to enter the Evil Water Region.
• Zhu Fancheng warned Huo Lian that the families would destroy their cultivation methods rather than surrender them to the Demon Hall, and Huo Lian asked if he was threatening him.

Huo Lian negotiated with Zhu Fancheng and Leng Guhan over the Evil Blades, demanding the Heavenly Evil Imperishable Art in exchange for helping them reach the Evil Water Region. The bargain remained conditional, and Huo Lian learned that Leng Guhan wanted the Supremely Evil Saber Manual to improve his swordsmanship.

• Huo Lian refused to accept Zhu Fancheng's offer of any cultivation method except the Evil Daoist Canon, warning that the deal carried too much risk without a guarantee.
• Huo Lian offered to provide the Evil Blades and locate Dragon Fang in exchange for the Heavenly Evil Imperishable Art.
• Zhu Fancheng explained that the art was incomplete and divided among the Three Great Families, and said the Zhu Family's portion was inside the Evil Water Region.
• Huo Lian said he would believe Zhu Fancheng for now, but threatened to destroy the Three Great Families if Zhu had concealed anything.
• Huo Lian questioned Leng Guhan about his interest in the deal, and Leng Guhan admitted he wanted to study the Supremely Evil Saber Manual to advance his swordsmanship.
• Huo Lian realized Leng Guhan hoped to use the manual to counter the Demon Hall's Supreme Demon Saber Technique and said he looked forward to seeing the result.

Huo Lian agreed to help Leng Guhan and Zhu Fancheng with the three Ancient Evil Blades, then treated Wu Cang’s injuries and heard Huang Xiao’s account of the Evil Water Region. The Demon Hall learned that all three blades were needed to break the region’s formation and escape, leaving Huo Lian’s role in obtaining them central to what happens next.

• Leng Guhan challenged Huo Lian’s plans for Huang Xiao, and Huo Lian agreed to arrange a time to deal with the three Ancient Evil Blades.
• Huo Lian struck Wu Cang with finger force, causing him to expel stagnant blood and begin recovering from his injuries.
• Huo Lian asked Huang Xiao to describe what he had seen in the Evil Water Region after Wu Cang left.
• Huang Xiao reported that descendants of the Three Great Families guarded the region, which contained their manuals and the Supreme Evil Pillar.
• Huang Xiao explained that an Ancient Evil Blade could grant entry, but all three blades were required to break the formation and escape.

Huang Xiao told Huo Lian, Wei Yidao, and Chu Fanyin that Chao Hun had attacked him to obtain the Heavenly Demon Skill, and Wei Yidao linked Chao Hun to several missing and murdered Demon Hall figures. The group was left stunned when Huang Xiao revealed that Chao Hun carried the aura of Supreme Demonic Qi.

• Huo Lian agreed to discuss providing the Demon Hall with three Evil Blades and confirmed that he had also reached an agreement with Leng Guhan.
• Huo Lian rebuked Wei Yidao for failing to protect Huang Xiao, and Wei Yidao promised that it would not happen again.
• Huang Xiao asked about Qin Lu and learned that the elder had vanished after going out with him; Wei Yidao suspected Chao Hun had killed him.
• Huang Xiao revealed that Chao Hun had attacked him for the Heavenly Demon Skill and that he escaped when the Heavenly Evil Sect passed nearby.
• Wei Yidao connected Chao Hun to the deaths of Qin Lu and Zhu Jigeng and the disappearance of Lou Feishang, then said Chao Hun had likely obtained Demon Hall cultivation methods.
• Huang Xiao said he had detected Supreme Demonic Qi in Chao Hun, shocking Wei Yidao, Chu Fanyin, and Huo Lian.

Huo Lian discussed the source of Chao Hun’s Supreme Demonic Qi and explained why the Demon Hall could not fully counter the Pang Family’s influence. He ordered Huang Xiao to return to Chaotic Province for guidance, leaving Huang Xiao with a new understanding of how even a Hall Master could be constrained.

• Huang Xiao told Huo Lian, Wei Yidao, and Chu Fanyin that Chao Hun possessed a sparse wisp of Supreme Demonic Qi, and Huo Lian suggested he might have found a Demon Hall treasure or a place where its seniors had cultivated.
• Wei Yidao said Chao Hun had reportedly entered Mist Mountain, making him difficult to find, and asked whether Huang Xiao could return with them to the Heavenly Demon Hall.
• Huo Lian allowed Huang Xiao to return for follow-up matters but ordered Wei Yidao to send him to Chaotic Province later so Huo Lian could guide him.
• Huo Lian questioned whether Wei Yidao could help Huang Xiao compete with Pang Yi and explained that the Pang Family’s backing gave Pang Yi advantages Wei Yidao could not provide.
• Huo Lian described how Pang Ji and the Pang Family had regained power in the Demon Hall, and Huang Xiao began to understand that even a Hall Master could be constrained.

Huo Lian summoned Huang Xiao to discuss the Evil Water Region, and Huang Xiao revealed that Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli were trapped there with him. Huo Lian challenged Huang Xiao’s determination to rescue them, but ultimately accepted his choice while warning that his attachment could be exploited.

• Wei Yidao agreed that Huang Xiao could follow Huo Lian, who said he would notify them when he wanted Huang Xiao to come and for how long.
• Huang Xiao asked Huo Lian about entering the Evil Water Region, then revealed that Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli had fallen in with him and remained trapped there.
• Huang Xiao told Huo Lian that he and the two women had shared the intimacy of husband and wife and that he wanted to rescue them.
• Huo Lian dismissed Huang Xiao’s concern for the women and warned that their importance to him could let the Heirs of the Three Great Families use them to control him.
• Huang Xiao stood by his decision, and Huo Lian acknowledged his conviction while warning him that attachment was a weakness.

Huo Lian learned that Huang Xiao had memorized more than three thousand manuals on imperishability, but not the Heavenly Evil Imperishable Art he hoped to obtain. He remained determined to search the Evil Water Region and promised Huang Xiao he would rescue the two women, then asked him to recite the manuals.

• Huo Lian told Huang Xiao he would help rescue the two women once the Three Evil Blades were gathered, and said he needed something in the Evil Water Region.
• Huo Lian asked whether Huang Xiao had found the Heavenly Evil Imperishable Art among the manuals there, and Huang Xiao said he had memorized more than three thousand manuals but had found no such art.
• Huo Lian considered that the Three Great Families might have withheld the Heavenly Evil Imperishable Art from Huang Xiao and explained that the Demon Hall's Imperishability Chapter was lost to later Hall Masters.
• Huo Lian told Huang Xiao he still intended to obtain the Heavenly Evil Imperishable Art and would bring the two women out when he went to the Evil Water Region.
• Huo Lian asked Huang Xiao to recite all the manuals, then told Wei Yidao and Chu Fanyin to wait while they discussed them.

Huo Lian questioned Huang Xiao about Chao Hun’s Supreme Demonic Qi and decided to investigate after Huang Xiao described it as impure, containing several distinct strands. After returning to the hall masters, Huang Xiao heard Wei Yidao and Chu Fanyin discuss Chao Hun, Lou Feishang’s disappearance, and how to support their halls’ candidates, with Chu suggesting they join forces to nurture Huang Xiao.

• Huo Lian listened as Huang Xiao recited more than three thousand cultivation manuals created by the ancestors of the Three Great Families.
• Huang Xiao told Huo Lian that Chao Hun’s Supreme Demonic Qi seemed impure and contained at least five or six strands with different auras, prompting Huo Lian to investigate.
• Huo Lian told Huang Xiao to return to the Heavenly Demon Hall and say that he had received guidance, then left.
• Huang Xiao rejoined Wei Yidao and Chu Fanyin, while Wu Cang returned safely and then took his leave.
• Chu Fanyin said he would not search Mist Mountain for Chao Hun and would instead deal with Lou Feishang’s disappearance, which he suspected was connected to Chao Hun.
• Wei Yidao joked that Chu Fanyin should lend his hall’s resources to the Heavenly Demon Hall, and Chu proposed that both halls join forces to nurture Huang Xiao.

Chu Fanyin and Wei Yidao secretly agreed to have the Ten Thousand Demons Hall teach Huang Xiao more of the Ten Thousand Demons Skill to strengthen his bid for the Hall Master's Seat. Huang Xiao returned safely to the Heavenly Demon Hall, where his survival delighted some and enraged Zuo Jiayi.

• Chu Fanyin proposed that the Ten Thousand Demons Hall secretly give Huang Xiao additional instruction in its cultivation method, and Wei Yidao agreed.
• Chu Fanyin told Huang Xiao to conceal his knowledge of the Ten Thousand Demons Skill and make others think he knew only its earliest levels.
• Chu Fanyin accompanied Wei Yidao and Huang Xiao to the Heavenly Demon Hall to help protect them from possible interception.
• Ten days later, Huang Xiao returned alive to the Heavenly Demon Hall, delighting those who believed he had a strong chance at the Hall Master's Seat.
• Zuo Jiayi smashed furniture in his room and raged over Huang Xiao's survival after the failed attempts to kill him.

Huang Xiao returned safely to the Heavenly Demon Hall and learned that some disciples had hoped to replace him while he was missing. When he discovered that Zuo Jiayi had brutally injured Chao Lingyi, he rose to confront him.

• Chao Lingyi told Huang Xiao that disciples had spread rumors about his death and hoped to take his place as Hall Master Candidate.
• Huang Xiao noticed Chao Lingyi struggling with a washbasin and demanded to see her hands.
• Huang Xiao found lash wounds and damaged meridians on Chao Lingyi’s arms and pressed her to explain who had hurt her.
• Chao Lingyi identified Zuo Jiayi and tearfully recounted what had happened.
• Huang Xiao erupted in anger, destroyed his reclining chair, and declared that Zuo Jiayi was courting death.

After learning that Yao Renwu had sent Yin Huju and Yue Cheng to the Forced Labor Camp and that Zuo Jiayi had beaten Chao Lingyi, Huang Xiao decided to confront the matter himself. He prepared to go to the camp with Chao Lingyi after she received healing pills.

• Chao Lingyi told Huang Xiao that Zuo Jiayi had beaten her and forbidden anyone from treating her injuries.
• Huang Xiao ordered a guard to summon Yin Huju and Yue Cheng, then learned they had been sent to the Forced Labor Camp.
• Chao Lingyi explained that Yao Renwu had punished the elders after they opposed his plan to recommend Zuo Jiayi for the Hall Master Candidate position.
• Huang Xiao ordered healing pills for Chao Lingyi and said he would go to the Forced Labor Camp instead of seeking the Hall Master.
• Huang Xiao asked Chao Lingyi to lead him to the camp and decided they would wait for her healing pills before leaving.

Huang Xiao obtained healing pills for Chao Lingyi and took her toward the Forced Labor Camp, where they overheard Zuo Jiayi and other disciples insulting him. Huang Xiao confronted them and demanded that Zuo Jiayi repeat his words.

• A Void Martial Realm disciple brought Huang Xiao the healing pills, and Chao Lingyi took one before they left for the Forced Labor Camp.
• Chao Lingyi explained the formations surrounding the camp, and Huang Xiao observed that their influence compressed his divine sense.
• Huang Xiao and Chao Lingyi overheard Zuo Jiayi and his companions disparaging Huang Xiao and discussing his return.
• After Junior Brother Cheng was knocked down, Zuo Jiayi and the others noticed Huang Xiao; four disciples knelt and slapped themselves while Huang Xiao asked Zuo Jiayi to repeat what he had said.

Huang Xiao learned that Zuo Jiayi had flogged Chao Lingyi and punished him with the whip, but Zuo Jiayi attacked Huang Xiao in response. Their fight escalated when Junior Brother Cheng joined in, and Zuo Jiayi drew his Imitation Saber against him.

• Zuo Jiayi refused to sincerely apologize to Huang Xiao, who dismissed the other disciples’ attempts to curry favor and sent Chao Lingyi to fetch a whip.
• Chao Lingyi returned with the whip, and Huang Xiao asked whether his people were Zuo Jiayi’s to mistreat.
• Zuo Jiayi admitted that he had flogged Chao Lingyi, so Huang Xiao whipped him while two kneeling disciples held him in place.
• Zuo Jiayi broke free and attacked Huang Xiao, then became enraged when Huang Xiao struck his face with another lash.
• Junior Brother Cheng charged at Zuo Jiayi, who drew his Imitation Saber and slashed at him.

Huang Xiao faced Zuo Jiayi after Zuo Jiayi wounded Junior Brother Cheng and drew his saber, while Zheng Gu prevented the guards from intervening. Huang Xiao took Junior Brother Cheng’s saber, then abruptly killed four disciples before turning back to Zuo Jiayi.

• Zuo Jiayi wounded Junior Brother Cheng with his Martial Realm-grade imitation saber and charged at Huang Xiao.
• Chao Lingyi called for help, but Zheng Gu ordered the Forced Labor Camp guards to stay at their post and watch.
• Zheng Gu expected Zuo Jiayi to defeat Huang Xiao without killing him, while Zuo Jiayi insisted he would accept any punishment afterward.
• Huang Xiao dodged Zuo Jiayi’s slash and said he would carry out the punishment immediately.
• Junior Brother Cheng tossed Huang Xiao his imitation saber, and Huang Xiao used it to kill two Half-Step Martial Realm disciples and two Void Martial Realm disciples.

Huang Xiao killed Zuo Jiayi after defeating him in a saber fight, despite Zuo Jiayi dismissing his strength and refusing to apologize to Chao Lingyi. Zheng Gu watched from the Forced Labor Camp entrance and did not intervene.

• Chao Lingyi and Junior Brother Cheng saw Huang Xiao kill the four men, while Zuo Jiayi condemned his actions.
• Huang Xiao declared Zuo Jiayi sentenced to death and attacked him with the Heavenly Demon Demon Saber Techniques.
• Zuo Jiayi misidentified Huang Xiao's fifth-form strike as the sixth form and claimed Huang Xiao could not harm him.
• Huang Xiao gave Zuo Jiayi one last chance to kneel, kowtow to Chao Lingyi, and apologize, but Zuo Jiayi refused.
• Huang Xiao severed Zuo Jiayi's right arm and then cut his throat, killing him as Zheng Gu watched without stepping in.

Huang Xiao challenged Zheng Gu after killing Zuo Jiayi and demanded the release of Yin Huju and Yue Cheng without presenting a written order. When Zheng Gu said Huang Xiao lacked the authority to free them, Huang Xiao offered to prove his strength in a fight.

• Zheng Gu confronted Huang Xiao over Zuo Jiayi’s death and said he would report the matter to the Hall Master.
• Huang Xiao stopped the guard from fetching Elder Liu and explained that he had come to collect Yin Huju and Yue Cheng.
• Zheng Gu demanded a written order from the Hall Master or Yao Renwu, but Huang Xiao refused to seek one.
• Zheng Gu said Huang Xiao lacked enough authority, and Huang Xiao challenged him to exchange moves.
• The guards expected Zheng Gu to defeat Huang Xiao because Zheng Gu was a veteran Martial Realm expert and Huang Xiao had only recently entered the Void Martial Realm.

Huang Xiao challenged Regent Elder Zheng Gu to fight without a saber, seeking to test his strength against a Martial Realm expert. After Huang Xiao surprised Zheng Gu by matching his palm strike, Zheng Gu agreed to show him the Slaughter Demonic Art.

• Huang Xiao handed his Imitation Saber to Chao Lingyi and told Zheng Gu to use whatever moves he had.
• Huang Xiao attacked Zheng Gu, using the Lingbo Ethereal Steps to evade Zheng Gu's grabs and strikes.
• Zheng Gu took Huang Xiao more seriously after the younger man dodged his probing attacks.
• Huang Xiao stopped dodging and met Zheng Gu's palm head-on, shattering Zheng Gu's Palm Force before retreating five steps.
• Huang Xiao challenged Zheng Gu to use an ultimate move and asked to see his Slaughter Demon Palm.
• Zheng Gu refused to use the Slaughter Demon Palm but offered to demonstrate the Slaughter Demonic Art.

Huang Xiao fought Zheng Gu at full strength and endured several powerful blows, surprising the onlookers with how little damage he suffered. He challenged Zheng Gu to use the Slaughter Demon Palm, leaving their contest poised to escalate.

• Huang Xiao and Zheng Gu unleashed their demonic arts and began exchanging blows as Chao Lingyi, Junior Brother Cheng, and the guards watched from a distance.
• Huang Xiao was knocked into a boulder and spat blood, but he recovered quickly enough to make Zheng Gu marvel at his resilience.
• Huang Xiao charged again and secretly redirected Zheng Gu's force into the boulder, shattering it while emerging from the dust with only minor injuries.
• Huang Xiao challenged Zheng Gu to use the Slaughter Demon Palm, and coldness flickered in Zheng Gu's eyes.

Huang Xiao used the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Great Art to overpower Zheng Gu after Zheng Gu underestimated him. The fight continued despite Elder Liu’s warning, as Huang Xiao insisted he could not stop and pressed Zheng Gu to keep fighting.

• Zheng Gu increased his internal power but refused to use the Slaughter Demon Palm, believing he could defeat Huang Xiao without it.
• Huang Xiao unleashed the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Great Art as he attacked, causing his strength to surge while he concealed the change in his aura.
• Elder Liu arrived and tried to stop the fight, but Huang Xiao told him he had initiated the sparring match.
• Huang Xiao’s punch overwhelmed Zheng Gu and invaded his meridians, shocking both Zheng Gu and Elder Liu.
• Elder Liu warned that the Martial Realm Forbidden Art could destroy Huang Xiao’s foundation, but Huang Xiao claimed he could not stop and charged Zheng Gu again.
• Zheng Gu begged Huang Xiao to stop, while Huang Xiao insisted he wanted to fight again.

Huang Xiao withstood Zheng Gu’s Slaughter Demon Palm, relying on the Heavenly Demon Skill’s advantage and his rapidly repairing meridians. He then challenged Zheng Gu to a saber fight, and both men drew their Imitation Sabers.

• Zheng Gu decided to use the Slaughter Demon Palm against Huang Xiao, while Elder Liu worried that the fight might cause an accident.
• Huang Xiao met Zheng Gu’s Slaughter Demon Palm with the Heavenly Demon Subduing Tiger Fist and held his ground as their forces clashed.
• Huang Xiao realized the Heavenly Demon Skill was suppressing Zheng Gu’s Slaughter Demonic Art, then forced Zheng Gu back with a burst of fist force.
• Huang Xiao asked Chao Lingyi for Zuo Jiayi’s Imitation Saber and challenged Zheng Gu to fight with saber techniques.
• Zheng Gu had a guard bring his Imitation Saber and drew it, preparing to face Huang Xiao’s Sixth Form.

Huang Xiao fought Zheng Gu in a saber duel, using his Imperishable True Qi to endure injuries and wear his opponent down. Elder Liu stopped the match and declared it a draw, leaving the spectators astonished by Huang Xiao’s performance.

• Huang Xiao and Zheng Gu exchanged saber strikes, and Zheng Gu’s attacks drove Huang Xiao back and injured him.
• Huang Xiao decided to use his Imperishable True Qi to keep repairing his injuries and attacked Zheng Gu without regard for his own wounds.
• The two men repeatedly traded injuries until Zheng Gu’s wounds accumulated and he began vomiting blood.
• Huang Xiao charged again after each exchange, and Zheng Gu realized the fight could end with his death.
• Elder Liu stepped between them and called the match a draw, stunning the spectators.

Huang Xiao forced Zheng Gu to agree to release Yin Huju and Yue Cheng, then entered the Forced Labor Camp with Elder Liu. He learned that Demon Spirit Armor was forged using prisoners’ essence blood and lives, and discovered that Yao Renwu controlled the Core Forging Area.

• Huang Xiao admitted that Zheng Gu was still stronger but vowed to surpass him, while Elder Liu ordered the witnesses not to spread news of the confrontation.
• Huang Xiao demanded that Zheng Gu release Yin Huju and Yue Cheng, and Zheng Gu went to the Forced Labor Camp without replying.
• Huang Xiao began healing his injuries, then entered the Forced Labor Camp with Elder Liu despite being told he did not need to go inside.
• Elder Liu explained that prisoners could be selected for secret armor-forging work after surviving a year, but they still faced death because Demon Spirit Armor was forged with human essence blood and lives.
• Elder Liu told Huang Xiao that Zheng Gu could not enter the Core Forging Area and revealed that Yao Renwu was responsible for it.

Huang Xiao learned that Yao Renwu controlled the Forced Labor Camp and saw how brutally its prisoners were treated. He arrived too late to save Song Gang and learned that Yin Huju and Yue Cheng had been chosen for the core secret forging site.

• Elder Liu told Huang Xiao that Zheng Gu was only the nominal overseer of the Forced Labor Camp and that Yao Renwu controlled it.
• Huang Xiao saw the prisoners labor under brutal conditions and worried that Zheng Gu was targeting Yin Huju and Yue Cheng.
• Two guards brought in the mutilated Song Gang, and Huang Xiao tried to heal him, but Song Gang died in his arms.
• Huang Xiao demanded to know why Yin Huju, Yue Cheng, and Zheng Gu were absent, and a guard said Zheng Gu had left the camp.
• The guard relayed Zheng Gu's message: Huang Xiao had arrived too late because Yin Huju and Yue Cheng had been chosen for the core secret forging site.

Huang Xiao learned that Yin Huju and Yue Cheng had been taken to the Core Forging Area, where Yao Renwu’s people could make their lives difficult. He went to seek the Hall Master’s help, but discovered the Hall Master had gone to the Main Hall and had ordered Huang Xiao to remain inside the Heavenly Demon Hall for his safety.

• A guard told Huang Xiao that Yin Huju and Yue Cheng had been selected and taken to the Core Forging Area, and explained that Zheng Gu had submitted their names before the selection.
• Elder Liu urged Huang Xiao to ask the Hall Master to release the two elders, and Huang Xiao suspected Yao Renwu’s subordinates had helped ensure their selection.
• Huang Xiao left the Forced Labor Camp with Elder Liu and Chao Lingyi, then hurried to the Hall Master’s residence.
• A disciple told Huang Xiao that the Hall Master and Hall Master Chu had gone to the Main Hall an hour earlier.
• Elder Liu warned Huang Xiao that he could not safely leave the Heavenly Demon Hall, and a disciple confirmed that the Hall Master had ordered him to stay inside.

Huang Xiao failed to reach the absent Hall Master and could only wait for a letter to reach him, leaving Yin Huju and Yue Cheng in danger at the Forced Labor Camp. After learning that Yao Renwu had returned injured, Huang Xiao worried that Yao might retaliate against the imprisoned elders while no one could restrain him.

• Elder Liu tried to catch up with the Hall Master but failed, while Huang Xiao sent a letter asking for help.
• Huang Xiao asked Elder Liu what punishment Zheng Gu could face and resolved to appeal to the Hall Master when he returned.
• A guard told Huang Xiao that Yao Renwu and Liang Chenghao had returned with serious injuries.
• Huang Xiao feared that Yao Renwu would harm Yin Huju and Yue Cheng at the Forced Labor Camp, where the absent Hall Master had left no one able to stop him.